


Dragon's Princess

by RegalStarlight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Enchanted Forest, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 19:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3662838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalStarlight/pseuds/RegalStarlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Princess Emma's world is turned upside down when she meets Lily, a girl who can transform into a dragon. Despite their differences, the two girls feel an instant connection. But in a world of heroes and villains, can the light and the dark coexist? Enchanted Forest AU.  Emma/Lily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: basically, this is an AU where Emma and Lily were both raised by their parents in the Enchanted Forest. The spell to transfer Emma’s darkness to Lily happened, but Lily wasn’t sent to the Land Without Magic, and the Dark Curse never happened. This fic starts when they’re young teenagers, about the same age as in Breaking Glass.

_Once upon a time, a pure-hearted Princess was captured by a terrible dragon. Many knights fought valiantly to save her, but each of them failed. One day, a Prince heard of the beautiful Princess held captive by a dragon. He was told to stay away, for all who had faced the dragon had perished, but his noble heart could not bear to leave the Princess in danger. He rode into the dragon’s lair and fought with courage, slaying the beast. The Princess fell in love with her rescuer, and the two were married and lived happily ever after._

Emma closed the book and looked up at her mother.

“Did that really happen?”

Snow White smiled.

“Who knows? It’s just a story. But dragons are real, and so are happy endings. Who’s to say it didn’t happen?”

“When I grow up, I want to have adventures like that,” said Emma. “I want to be a hero, like you and dad.”

She thought she saw a hint of sadness in her mom’s face, but after a moment it was gone.

“You will,” Snow said softly. “What else could you be?”

Suddenly, Grumpy burst into the room.

“Your Majesty!” he shouted. “We’re under attack!”

Snow’s eyes widened. She squeezed Emma’s shoulder gently.

“Stay here, sweetheart,” she said as she got up to leave.

Emma nodded. Once they were gone, she rushed to the window. Looking out at the turrets and courtyards of the castle, she saw a dragon flying at them, its face a terrible snarl, spitting fire. Her heart skipped a beat. She took a step back from the window, reeling with fear. But beneath the fear was a thrill of excitement. She had always dreamed of being a hero like her parents. Maybe this was her chance.

But of course her parents and their knights would slay the dragon while she stayed safe indoors. Was that how it would always be? Maybe she wasn’t old enough to be a hero yet, but when would she be? Would there still be dragons to fight then?

She wasn’t a child anymore! If she could slay the dragon and save everyone in the castle, maybe her parents would see that. She would be a hero. Smiling confidently, she made her choice. She slipped out the door to her bedroom and ran down the castle corridor, gathering her skirts in her hands to keep herself from tripping. She paused at the door to the armory, knowing she would never be allowed to simply take whatever weapons she wanted. Until now, she had only ever practiced with wooden swords, not real ones. But how different could it be? Quietly, she slipped inside and grabbed the first sword that she saw. The heaviness surprised her, but she lifted it as well as she could and ran, dodging down another hallway before anyone even realized she had been there. No one knew their way around the castle better than the Princess.

When she finally made it outside, the dragon had reached the castle. A group of knights prepared to charge it as it flew towards them, fire streaming from its mouth. Emma stopped to watch in awe. Suddenly, the dragon swerved, its eyes locked on Emma. Ignoring the knights, it flew straight in Emma’s direction. Her heart pounded as she lifted her sword. The knights looked around in confusion.

“Emma, no! Run!”

It was her father’s voice, but Emma ignored him. As the dragon approached, she slashed her sword at the air clumsily, hampered by the weapon’s weight. The dragon snatched her up in its claws and lifted her off her feet. The sword slipped from her grasp and clattered uselessly to the ground.

“Help!” Emma cried out, struggling against the dragon’s grip. An arrow whizzed past her head, missing the dragon completely. Her father and the knights rushed to her aid, but it was too late. The dragon was flying away, taking Emma with it. The ground dropped further and further away, and she squeezed her eyes shut out of fear. She wasn’t trying to escape from the dragon’s claws anymore; she was holding on for dear life. When she finally dared to open her eyes again, the castle was a speck on the horizon, and far below, the knights were turning back in defeat. Her heart sank.

Up ahead, another castle loomed in the distance. The dragon landed just in front of it and released its grip on Emma. She heard the sound of ripping fabric as she tumbled to the ground. Standing, she brushed herself off and turned to look defiantly at the dragon. A sudden burst of fire surprised her, and she ducked out of the way, barely avoiding being burnt to a crisp.

“Why are you doing this?” she demanded, not expecting an answer. “What did I ever do to you?”

To her surprise, the dragon paused. In a whirl of smoke, it was gone, and in its place stood a human girl, near Emma’s own age, with caramel skin and beautiful dark hair. She glared daggers at the Princess. Pulling up a black leather sleeve, she showed Emma a star-shaped scar on her wrist.

“This is what you did.”


	2. Chapter II

Emma blinked in confusion at the small star-shaped mark on the other girl’s wrist.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “What is that?”

“You really don’t know?” asked the dragon girl in disbelief. “I thought they would have told you.”

“Told me what?”

The stranger advanced towards Emma and grabbed her by the arm.

“The truth,” she said.

Suddenly, the two girls were surrounded by smoke. The world around them vanished, and they reappeared inside the castle, in a darkly elegant room, lit only by the fire in the fireplace, which cast ominous shadows on the walls. Emma’s captor sat down on a black velvet couch and gestured for Emma to join her. The Princess perched nervously on the edge of the seat, half expecting to find a knife in her back or feel the fabric swallow her up.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Emma asked.

The other girl nodded solemnly and showed Emma the star on her wrist again. What might have been a tattoo or a birthmark when seen at a distance was in fact an ugly scar carved into her skin.

“I had something to do with that?”

“Your parents did this to me. Because of you.”

“What?”

“Evil isn’t born, Princess, and neither is good. They’re made. People become heroes and villains because of their choices. And because of the things that happen to them. But that wasn’t good enough for Snow White and Prince Charming. Their daughter had to be perfect and pure.”

“What are you saying?”

The other girl’s face twisted into a scowl.

“Your precious parents stole me away from my mother when I was still in my egg and cursed me with all of your darkness. They took my light and gave it to you. They decided our fates before we were even born, all so that you could be their perfect little hero.”

Emma shook her head.

“No … that can’t be true. They wouldn’t …”

“Didn’t you ever wonder? Haven’t they ever told you you’re special? That you’ll grow up to be a hero?”

Emma gulped, thinking back to earlier that very day, what seemed like a lifetime ago.

_“When I grow up, I want to have adventures like that. I want to be a hero, like you and dad.”_

_“You will. What else could you be?”_

“But my parents are good people,” said Emma, blinking back tears. “They’re heroes.”

The other girl laughed coldly.

“They may be the heroes of your story, but they’re the villains of mine. And now they will pay!”

She rose abruptly and stood over Emma, scowling down at her. If looks could kill, Emma would already be dead.

“Now, they will suffer. When the daughter they saved by condemning me is dead, they will know what pain is.”

She wrapped her hands around Emma’s throat, choking her.

“Wait … please …” Emma gasped. “If you’re going to … kill me … at least tell me … your name.”

The dragon girl’s grip loosened. She released Emma and let her fall back onto the couch.

“Why?” she asked harshly.

“Because I thought you were a monster, but you’re not,” said Emma. “You’re just a girl, like me, and if what you’re saying is true … it’s not right. So I’d like to know who you are.”

“Lilith.”

“What?”

“My name,” said the dragon girl with a slight smile. “Lilith, daughter of Maleficent.”

Emma nodded.

“All right. Thank you.”

She closed her eyes. Her heart pounded as she waited for Lilith’s hands to close around her throat once more, but to her surprise, nothing happened. After a few long, drawn-out moments, she felt the weight of another body sitting down beside her on the couch. A hand touched her arm, surprisingly gentle. She opened her eyes and saw Lilith looking at her with something almost like pity in her eyes.

“I won’t kill you,” said Lilith. “At least not today.”

“Why not?” asked Emma curiously.

“Because you’re just a girl, like me. This wasn’t your choice either.”


	3. Chapter III

Now that she knew she wasn't about to die, Emma found it much easier to relax. Her family would come to save her soon, or she might even convince Lilith to let her go.  And in the meantime, she wasn't in any great danger. She even found herself thinking that this might be a great adventure. How many girls could say that they had met a dragon?

"You know, Lilith is kind of a long name," she said.

The other girl raised an eyebrow.

"No longer than Emma," she said. "Exactly the same number of syllables."

Emma tilted her head, studying the girl beside her.

"I guess that's not what I meant," she said. "It's … well, it's a weird name. And kind of scary-sounding."

"It's a villain's name," said Lilith bluntly. "That's what I am."

"Because of me."

Lilith got up and started pacing in front of the fireplace, a pensive look on her face. Emma watched her closely. Finally, she spoke:

"Even if it wasn't for your parents, this would still be the world I was born into. But then I would be able to choose for myself."

Emma stood and took the other girl's hand, noticing once again the scar on her wrist.

"Maybe you can still choose," she said.

Lilith turned away and said: "It's not that simple."

"No, listen to me," said Emma. "Spell or no spell, I can tell you're not all evil. You could have killed me, but you didn't. Maybe you can make other choices, too – good choices."

The other girl looked back at her with something like pity in her eyes.

"Have you ever tried to be bad?"

Emma shrugged. "I disobey my parents sometimes – like today, when I came out to try to attack you. They said to stay safe indoors, but I didn't listen."

Lilith nodded. "I thought so. Your idea of bad is disobeying to try to be a hero. And my version of good is sparing the life of someone I don't actually want dead. We can still make choices, but our natures were decided for us."

Emma fidgeted uncomfortably, not liking what she was hearing. It was one thing for her parents to tell her she was a good person. She had always thought that was something she had earned. But if this was really true, and not some kind of twisted nightmare – if everything good about her was set in stone by a spell that also made another girl evil – then what was the point? Was that really good at all?

They stood there for a while in awkward silence, Emma still holding Lilith's hand. Her gaze drifted down from the other girl's face to the star carved into her flesh. After a long moment, Emma spoke again.

"Lily."

"What?" the other girl's head jerked sharply back towards Emma. Brown eyes locked with green.

"Can I call you Lily?"

The other girl shrugged, but Emma thought she saw a slight smile in her eyes. She let go of Emma's hand and sank back down into the couch.

"I suppose so," she said.

Suddenly, the doors were flung open, and an imposing woman stood in the doorway, dressed all in black, with a staff in her hand and a horned headdress on her head. Emma stared in wide-eyed astonishment. Beside her, Lily sighed.

"Mother. You're home early."

The woman didn't smile.

"Would you like to tell me why there's an army advancing on us?"

Lily glanced nervously from her mother to Emma, whose heart was racing with anticipation. They were coming for her. They were coming to save her! Then Maleficent's gaze landed on her, and a look of recognition crossed her face.

"You're Snow White's daughter," she said.

Emma gave a jerky nod. She took a step backwards under the frightening's woman's intense stare, afraid for her life once more. Lily might have decided not to kill her, but that didn't mean her mother wouldn't. Surely Maleficent had just as much reason to hate her as Lily did.

Maleficent's gaze shifted from Emma to her daughter.

"Oh, Lilith, tell me you didn't," she said in a disappointed tone.

Watching them, Emma realized that Lily hadn't been acting with her mother's approval. She must have slipped out while Maleficent was away, as eager to get her revenge as Emma had been to play the hero. Not that it had worked out that well for either of them.

"Lilith, we have a royal army riding toward our castle!" Maleficent said. "Did you think you could just kidnap the Princess with no retaliation? I promised you we would have our revenge, but you are not to put yourself in danger, do you understand? You're too young – you're still a child."

Maleficent's voice was stern, but there was a worried tone to it that surprised Emma. Was this some villainous version of motherly love? Did evil women worry about their children's safety just like Emma's own parents did for her? It was strange for the Princess to consider, but far from the strangest thing that had happened that day.

"What were you even going to do with her?"

Emma's heart pounded. In her mind, she went over the possibilities, looking for a way to get out of this alive.

"I …" Lily hesitated. "I thought I wanted to kill her, but I changed my mind. It's her parents who did this to me. They're the ones I want to make suffer."

Emma spoke up: "You need to let me go."

Two pairs of narrowed eyes stared at her.

"It's the only way you'll get out of this alive. If you kill me, my family will avenge me, and if you try to hold me prisoner, they won't give up until they free me. Either way, this doesn't end well for you – unless you let me go."

"Let you go?" said Maleficent. "And lose our leverage? I think not."

Emma's heart sank. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. In the stories, the dragon held the Princess captive until the knight came to rescue her. But he had to slay the dragon first, and as Emma glanced nervously at Lily, she realized she didn't want that. But she didn't want to stay here as their prisoner, either, and she certainly didn't want to die.

"Lock her up," said Maleficent. "Then we'll talk about protecting our home."

Lily smiled, with a possessive look in her eyes that sent shivers down Emma's spine. She took Emma by the arm and led her away down a winding corridor that led – where? To the dungeons? Panic rising within her, Emma struggled to free herself, but Lily just tightened her grip on Emma's arm. She leaned close and whispered in Emma's ear: "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

Emma wished she could take comfort in those words, but she found that they frightened her more than anything.


	4. Chapter IV

The bolt of a lock slid into place behind Emma. She banged on the door with her fist, calling for Lily to please let her out, but her cries were met with nothing but silence and the sound of retreating footsteps. With tears welling up in her eyes, she sank to the cold stone floor, trembling.

Through bleary eyes, she took in her surroundings. The room was small, less than half the size of her bedroom back home, but as she looked around she realized it was nothing like the dreary dungeon cell she had expected. Instead, there was a four-poster bed made up with pillows and blankets, a thick velvet rug on the stone floor, and a window looking out on the surrounding mountains. Her eyes widened in surprise, but then she shook her head. A comfortable prison was still a prison.

Looking out the window, she spotted something in the distance, moving toward the castle. Her parents’ army! With any luck she would be out of here in no time! And yet … as she thought about her parents coming in with an army to save her, a lump formed in her throat. In the stories, you always had to slay the dragon to rescue the princess.

No. That was silly. Why would she care what happened to her captor? All that mattered was getting home safely.

Outside, she saw two dragons take flight, circling in and out of view like two enormous birds, if birds had scales and breathed fire. She had thought Lily was a large dragon, but compared to her mother, she was tiny. Meanwhile, the army on the ground came closer and closer, until she could make out her parents’ faces, darkened with worry. With a jolt, Emma realized she had been so busy worrying about her family killing Lily that she had forgotten her family would be in just as much danger from the dragons. A cry of panic escaped her lips.

No. There had to be a way out of this without any bloodshed, if only she was clever enough to find it. She peered nervously out the window, but the sheer drop sent her reeling backwards. This tower didn’t need iron bars on the window to keep her captive; trying to get out that way would be nothing short of suicide.

But what else could she do? Far below, the army advanced closer and closer, Emma’s mother and father in the lead. And high above them, two dragons waited, snarling at the oncoming forces. The smaller of the two looked Emma’s direction for a moment and met her gaze with glowing eyes. Then, turning away, the dragon Emma knew to be Lily swerved downward, flames shooting from her mouth. Emma recoiled in horror. One way or another, someone was going to die today. Maybe many people.

This wasn’t the time for tears. This was the time for solutions. The window was suicide, that much was clear; even if Emma could find some way to make a rope, she would have to dangle from the side of the tower, careful not to let her grip on it falter, not far from two very large fire-breathing dragons. All while wearing these cumbersome skirts. The walls were stone … the door was made of wood, but it was strong and sturdy … wood could burn, but then she’d be trapped by a doorway of flames and quite possibly get herself killed.

Her gaze fell upon the lock, and she knew she had found her way out. Closing her eyes, she let her desire, her need to get out of this tower fill her up. Urgency and panic overwhelmed her, but that wouldn’t be enough, she knew. It worked better when she felt a protective instinct kick in, she knew that from the time she stopped a Baron’s son from picking on the servants’ kids and sent him across the room in a burst of light magic. So she focused on her parents, on her love for them and her worry that they were going to die trying to save her if she didn’t get out of here soon … to her surprise, she felt Lily floating to the forefront of her mind as well, the strange dragon-girl who, in spite of everything, she didn’t want to see die at her parents’ hands. She didn’t think, she just felt, until her emotions were too overwhelming to control.

The click of the lock and the creak of the door falling open told her she had succeeded. Her eyes flew open. Beaming at the open doorway, she gathered her skirts to keep from tripping and stepped forward. She took the stairs two at a time, leaping down, her heart racing. She rushed down dimly-lit corridors and through all manner of rooms, searching for the way out, wishing Lily had brought her up the front steps instead of poofing them into the castle. Then she found it. Two enormous wooden doors. She gave them a tentative push, and they creaked open.

Outside, the battle had begun in earnest. The two dragons rained fire down upon the army. Charred bodies were already strewn about the ground. Emma searched the battlefield frantically for her mother and father, heaving a sigh of relief as she spotted them.

“Emma!” Snow cried, spotting her there in the doorway. She dodged a blast of dragon fire and raced towards Emma, who ran forward into her arms. For a moment, it seemed as though the battle stopped, and all Emma was aware of was the warmth of her mother’s body, and the voice in her ear whispering, “You’re okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

Then an arrow whizzed past, bringing them back to reality.

“Please, mom …” Emma said. “Get me out of here.”

Snow hesitated.

“We should finish this,” she said.

“No,” said Emma. “Please just take me home. Now.”

Snow nodded and called out to the army to retreat. She wrapped Emma in her cloak and pulled her onto the horse, arms wrapped tightly around her. With the King riding beside them, they set off at a run. Emma glanced back over her shoulder to see hundreds of retreating soldiers, chased by fire that the large dragon spat. The smaller one looked straight at Emma, opening its mouth as if to burn the three of them with her breath. But then she paused, looked at Emma with sadness in her eyes, and turned away.


	5. Chapter V

Snow’s arms held Emma so tightly she felt as if she was being smothered. The soft velvet blanket and the opulence of the surrounding room did nothing to make her more comfortable, and she fidgeted awkwardly in her mother’s embrace.

“It’s all right, Emma,” Snow murmured. “You’re safe now.”

Emma didn’t reply. The blanket wrapped around her felt like a snake squeezing the life out of her. Her mother’s fingers running through her hair were so familiar, but so wrong. Everything was wrong now. But her parents were good people. She had always believed that. There had to be an explanation.

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“When I was … the dragon, her name is Lily, she told me something.”

She watched her mother’s face and saw a flicker of … what, fear? Worry? But then she smiled.

“Emma, dear, I’m sure whatever it said is nothing to worry about,” she said. “Your father and I will always protect you.”

“She said you put all my darkness into her,” said Emma, studying her mother’s face carefully. “She said you doomed her to make me a hero. Is it true? Did you make her a monster?”

There was definitely sadness in Snow’s eyes. Regret, maybe. Emma wasn’t sure. But then it was gone.

“You’re a hero because that’s who you are,” said Snow. “And the dragon is a monster because … well, it’s in their nature.”

“But if she really wanted to be good, could she?” Emma asked, looking up at her mother, wide-eyed.

“I’m sure she could, sweetheart,” said Snow, stroking her daughter’s hair. “If she really wanted to.”

It was incredible, how much comfort a lie could provide. Emma was almost sure her mother was hiding something, but she couldn’t deny that the words made her feel better. It was exactly what she wanted to hear, what she wanted to believe … and when it came down to it, who was she going to trust? A dragon who kidnapped her, or her own mother?

“Thank you, mom,” she whispered, snuggling closer to her mother. The embrace still felt smothering, but she could somehow breathe again.

* * *

 

Over the next few weeks, life returned more or less to normal. Emma went back to her lessons, went horseback riding with her parents, and tried to forget about everything that had happened with Lily. Unfortunately for her, forgetting was not that easy, and memories of their encounter kept gnawing at the back of her mind no matter how much she tried to ignore them.

In her free time, she found herself drawn to the library, where there were endless shelves of books about every topic imaginable, including one that she couldn’t get out of her head.

“Dragons?” the castle librarian, Belle, looked startled. “Are you sure? After what you’ve just been through, surely that’s the last thing you’d want to read about.”

The corners of Emma’s lips turned down as she peered at Belle.

“You should know better,” she said. “Everyone knows you’re always reading books about the Dark One.”

Belle’s face flushed.

“That – that’s different,” she stammered.

“I’ve heard people talking … they say that you loved him, once.”

Belle was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

“I still do,” she murmured. “I always will.”

“Why?”

“I saw good in him,” said Belle, turning her attention back to Emma. “He’s not just the monster everyone thinks he is. There’s a good man beneath all that.”

The young Princess smiled.

“Then you know why I need your help,” she said. “The dragon who kidnapped me – Lily – she wasn’t a monster. Or that’s not all she was, anyway. She was a girl, just like me, and I don’t know if that’s even possible, but …”

“I’m sure it is,” said Belle. “If there’s good in the Dark One, why shouldn’t the same be true of a dragon?”

“I need to know,” said Emma. “Can you help me?”

Belle smiled and nodded, but Emma didn’t miss the tears welling up in her eyes.

* * *

 

Late one night, Emma heard a scuffling sound outside her window. Getting up out of bed, she approached cautiously, ready to fight if need be, although how good she’d be in a fight was debatable. She pulled back the curtains and leaned out over the windowsill, squinting into the night. To her surprise, she spotted a small figure perched in the branches of a tree just outside her window. She just barely recognized the face in the dim light.

“Lily? What are you doing here?”

“Emma …” the other girl said. “I’m sorry about this, but … I need your help.”


	6. Chapter VI

“You want me to do what!?” Emma sputtered, glaring at Lily.

“Please, Emma, you’re the only one who can help me … I’m overwhelmed by darkness, no matter what I try to do, but when you’re around … things seem so much brighter. I need you.”

Emma took a step backwards. “No. You need to get away from me now. I am not going anywhere with you.”

The other girl’s lip trembled. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Emma almost felt sorry for her. Almost. But what she was asking was just too much.

“You kidnapped me, Lily. The only reason I got away was because my parents brought in an army to save me. You don’t honestly think I’d go back with you? I don’t care how much you think you want to be friends, I do not belong to you!”

“But you can help me,” said Lily, practically begging. “You and I, we can figure this out, break this spell. You want that, don’t you? You want to help me be a good person again?”

Emma was shaking now, her eyes stinging with tears. She shook her head. It was a lie, but she couldn’t let herself consider the possibility that she still did want to help. Anyway, her mother had said …

“You can be good!” Emma cried. “I think you’re using my parents’ spell as an excuse. If you really wanted to, you’d find a way, but this – this is not it.”

Lily’s face crumpled, and now she really was crying. There was something so desperate about her tonight, and Emma couldn’t help but wonder what had brought this on. Well, whatever it was, she didn’t care.

“Leave. Now.”

For a moment, Emma thought Lily would protest, maybe carry her away by force again. But then she just sighed and turned away, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. With one final glare, the other girl sprang out of the window. One moment she was human, and the next, a scaly dragon was flying away from the castle.

* * *

 

Emma slept restlessly that night and woke up full of guilt the next morning. Not guilt over refusing to go with Lily, because that was just ridiculous. No sane person would ever agree to that. But still, she couldn’t help feeling sad for the other girl. Maybe her mother was right, maybe not, but either way, weren’t the cards stacked against her? And if Emma continued to benefit from what her parents had done, at the expense of another girl’s soul, could she really call herself a hero?

She paced her room restlessly, refusing to leave and refusing to eat. She knew this wasn’t her fault, but she still couldn’t help feeling like it was. Surely there must be some way to help Lily, aside from running off with her in the middle of the night. If she really was the hero she claimed to be, surely the right thing to do would be to look for that way. But … from what she had been told, there wasn’t one. Once the spell had been enacted, it couldn’t be undone. She and Lily were stuck like this for the rest of their lives.

Unless that wasn’t true. If there was a way, Emma knew exactly who would have the answer, and she might even know where to find him. The rumors said he was held in the deepest, darkest part of her parents’ own dungeon.

She stopped pacing, a new kind of determination in her eyes. She knew now what she had to do.

* * *

 

The path down to the dungeons was dim, and the air smelled of something foul, but Emma didn’t look back. She walked with purpose, squinting into the darkness in the flickering light of the torch she carried. Her heart was racing, but her mind was made up.

From somewhere up ahead, eerie laughter echoed off the cave-like walls. A shiver ran down Emma’s spine as she approached the cell that contained the source of the laughter.

“Hello?” she said, unable to stop her voice from trembling. “Dark One, are you there?”

All of a sudden, there he was, with bulging eyes and scraggly, tangled hair. His skin was scaly and gold, and Emma couldn’t help thinking he looked more like a monster than a human. But no, she shouldn’t think that. He might be hideous, but he was still human, she reminded herself. Just like Lily was human.

“Indeed I am,” said the man, gesturing with his hands as he bowed to her. “Rumplestiltskin, at your service. And you are … Emma, aren’t you? Snow White’s daughter, all grown up.”

“How did you …?”

“Oh, you’ll find there’s much that I know,” said Rumplestiltskin, his voice suddenly rising, almost singsong in tone. “But you already know that. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You want to know about what your parents did to Maleficent’s daughter.”

Emma nodded, frightened that he knew so much.

“I know what they did,” she said. “What I need to know is, can it be undone?”

The Dark One shrugged his shoulders vaguely. “That’s going to cost you something.”

Of course. Everyone knew Rumplestiltskin couldn’t resist making deals. Emma had also been warned, what seemed like a thousand times, that his deals always turned out badly, but what other choice did she have? He was the only one who might be able to help her.

“What do you want?” she asked.

A creepy smile crept up over his face.

“How about this?” he said. “You’ll owe me a favor.”

Emma frowned.

“Any favor?” That sounded suspicious. Surely he didn’t think she would agree to something so vague. But he nodded, and a realization came over her. No one came to him except as a last resort, which meant he could set the price as high as he wanted. The people he made deals with were too desperate to bargain, and Emma was no exception. But that didn’t mean she had to go into it blindly.

“Fine,” she said. “But I have a few conditions.”

“And what might those be?”

“First of all, you can’t ask me to free you.”

“Fair enough.”

“And you can’t ask me to kill someone for you.”

“I wasn’t planning to. What else?”

“And …” Emma thought back to the story of Cinderella and the deal she had made. “You can’t have my firstborn.”

At that, Rumplestiltskin let out a high-pitched giggle.

“Oh, Princess, I like you,” he said. “You’re clever, you’re not afraid of me … I’d rather have you on my side.”

Emma privately thought that was unlikely to happen, but she knew better than to say it.

“So, do we have a deal?” she asked.

“I believe we do,” replied the Dark One. “The spell your parents cast is an old one, and very powerful. They were told it couldn’t be undone, but that was a lie. There is a way.”

“Is it True Love’s Kiss?” asked Emma. “If I find Lily’s True Love and get him to kiss her …”

Rumple laughed again.

“What?” Emma demanded. “It worked for my parents.”

“Ah … when you see the future, things can be quite ironic. But no, True Love’s Kiss is not the answer. The solution to your problem is both simpler and more difficult than that. You must both choose to go against the spell.”

“That’s all?” Emma couldn’t contain the derision in her tone.

“It won’t be as easy as you think,” Rumplestiltskin taunted her. “You will both have to go against your very natures if you wish to break the spell. You must fill your heart with darkness, in spite of what your parents’ spell did to you. But it isn’t as simple as that. She must also choose to embrace the light. Only a great act of evil from you and a great act of heroism from her can truly set you both free.”

Emma’s brow furrowed.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “What does that mean? How do we … what do I have to do?”

But the scaly-skinned man was done being helpful, and Emma was left to walk out of the dungeons, her heart even heavier than when she entered. Embrace darkness? How could she? How could doing the right thing, saving someone else, mean that she had to lose her own goodness? If she did that, would she be a hero … or a villain?


	7. Chapter VII

When Belle was released from the tower, it was like a dream come true. To finally be free after all these years as a prisoner … in a way, she had never been free, but this was surely the hardest prison to bear, cut off from any human contact except her guards and the cruel queen who held her there. She walked out of her prison full of hope. Finally, she could truly choose her own fate. And she knew exactly where her heart would lead her.

“Oh.” Snow White's face fell as Belle made her intentions known. “I'm not so sure that's a good idea.”

“No, I know he's … well, not without his flaws. But I'm in love with him. I can change him, I know it.”

Snow just shook her head and wouldn't meet Belle's eyes. Perhaps she had never thought that the monster she and her husband had imprisoned might have a True Love of his own. It wasn't until later that Belle found out the truth. Snow tried to soothe her as she cried and offered her a fresh start.

“Come and stay with us,” she said. “We can find you a place in our court, help you start over. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a new love.”

Belle longed to ask her if she would just move on if something happened to her “Charming”, but all of a sudden, she stopped herself. Clearly, these people were not going to reunite her with Rumple, but that didn't mean she couldn't find a way. She nodded shakily, an idea forming in the back of her mind.

“Do you … are you by any chance in need of a librarian?” Belle asked. “I do love books.”

Later, she snuck down into the dungeon, peering nervously over her shoulder, half expecting to be found by the guards. In the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon, she found him, in a filthy cell with bars that seemed to grow from the floor and ceiling, with a crazed look in his eye that was so different from the humanity she remembered.

“Rumple?” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

All of a sudden, the mad cackling faded away, replaced by some kind of clarity. She reached out to him through the bars and took his hand.

“Belle?” he gasped. “You're … you're alive? You're real?”

She nodded tearfully.

“Oh, Rumple … how could they do this to you?”

He let out a bitter laugh. “They're the heroes, and I'm the villain. The monster. The beast.”

She shook her head. “No. I refuse to believe that. They might be afraid of you, but I've seen for myself that you're not just a monster. And no matter what, nothing gives them the right to treat you like this. I mean, look at this awful place. I wouldn't keep a _real_ monster here.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Don't worry about me, Belle.”

“No, I can help you,” she insisted. “I can help you escape from this place, and we can make a fresh start. Together.”

His hand slipped from hers as he retreated back into the shadows. For a moment, she thought she had lost his attention, but then he returned, holding a little bottle of ink in his hand.

“Do you know what this is?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Squid ink. It's all that I need to get out of here.”

She blinked in astonishment. “Then why haven't you escaped yet?”

“Patience, dearie,” he replied. “I'm exactly where I need to be, for now.”

“So ...” her voice broke. “So there's nothing I can do?”

He smiled back at her with the gentleness she had grown accustomed to seeing in his face.

“Oh, I never said that,” he told her. “Of course there is.”

* * *

 

Nearly twenty-eight years later, an enraged Princess Emma came barging into the library, practically in tears.

“Emma?” Belle said. “What's wrong?”

Over the years, she had grown genuinely fond of the princess. She might have once been here only to help Rumple, but she couldn't deny that her reasons were more complicated than that now.

“A dragon attacked one of the villages,” Emma said. “Only a few miles from the castle. My parents think … they want to slay the dragon before she can hurt anyone else.”

Belle simply sat down and beckoned for the princess to join her.

“They want me to go with them,” Emma continued. “They said it can be a chance to finally be a hero. But if that's what being a hero means, I don't want to be one.”

Belle nodded. She understood that better than anyone.

“There are many kinds of heroes,” she said. “You don't have to be the kind that slays dragons. Maybe you're the kind of hero that saves them.”

Emma looked at the older woman with skepticism. “You really think that's possible?”

Belle nodded. “Yes, I do. You've always seen others as people first, whether they're heroes or villains, royals or peasants, or even monsters. That's one of the things I admire the most about you.”

“The dragon who attacked was Lily,” Emma admitted. “They're going to kill her, and probably her mother, too. I can't let that happen. It would be wrong.”

Belle didn't reply.

“They made her what she is,” Emma said. “They should want to save her, not kill her. If they were actually sorry, that's what they would do, but they're not sorry. They never have been.”

Belle touched Emma's hand and smiled at her sadly. “So what are you going to do?”

“I'm going to find her before they do,” Emma said. “And I'll do whatever it takes to stop this.”

Belle nodded. “Then I wish you luck.”

“Thank you.”

“There is one more thing,” Belle said hesitantly.

“What?”

“Rumple. He told me you would come to me, just before your 28th birthday, and I'd know that it was time. I think this is it.”

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. Then her eyes lit up with understanding.

“You've been visiting him?”

“As often as I can.”

“You really are still in love with him.”

Belle nodded, hoping that Emma would understand.

“Okay,” she said after a long pause. “What does he want?”

* * *

 

The way down to Rumple's cell was as dark and gloomy as before, but this time, Emma walked it without fear. She was no longer a frightened teenager, but a confident woman, determined to do whatever was necessary.

“I've been waiting,” he said in his creepy voice, and she held back a shudder.

“You're ready to claim the favor I owe you,” Emma said bluntly. “So what is it? What do you want?”

A grin spread across his face.

“Tell me, Princess Emma,” he said. “What became of the Evil Queen?”


	8. Chapter 8

“The Evil Queen?” Emma asked. “What kind of a question is that? Everyone knows she’s dead.”

From behind the bars of his cell, Rumple let out a shrill laugh.

“What?” Emma demanded. “It’s true.”

“I don’t know whether you’re lying to me, or whether your parents have been lying to you,” he said, peering at her intently. “But the queen is alive.”

Emma shook her head. That wasn’t possible.

“She’s being held captive in a tower deep in the woods.” he continued. “It was enchanted by the fairies so that no magic can be used inside. She hasn’t been able to escape for 28 years, but now _you_ are going to free her.”

He pointed directly at Emma as he spoke that last line. She took a step backwards in fear.

“No,” she said breathlessly. “I can’t, that would be … wait a second. We had a deal. You promised …”

“I promised I wouldn’t ask you to free _me_ , dearie. I didn’t make any such promises about the queen.”

“Why?” Emma asked. “They say you helped my parents defeat her. Why would you want her freed now?”

He shrugged. “My reasons are mine, dearie.”

“No, tell me,” Emma ordered. “Or I won’t do what you want.”

He hesitated for a moment, probably trying to see if she was bluffing.

“A long time ago, I lost my son,” he said at last. “He was taken away to another world, and the only way to find him again is through a powerful curse that will take everyone to that realm. I can’t cast it myself. Only she can.”

Emma stared at him in shock. “Well, now I’m definitely not going to do this.”

Rumple let out another maniacal laugh. “Of course you will. No one breaks deals with me, dearie!”

“I’m not about to let the kingdom suffer!” Emma protested.

“Of course not!” he said, gesturing wildly. “You’re the Savior! Once the curse is cast, _you’ll_ be the one to break it.”

Emma blinked, trying to piece together his words. None of it made sense – and yet, at the same time, it made too much sense. A chill ran down her spine as she contemplated his plan. How many years of patient manipulation must it have taken him to get to this point? How many people had he used as pawns in his chess game? Her, certainly. Her parents. The Evil Queen. No doubt countless others as well.

She turned and walked away, ignoring his cry of “Don’t break our deal!” An idea formed in her mind as she went, a way to keep her promise and achieve her own goals as well.

She would do what he asked.

She would help the Evil Queen escape.

But she would not allow the curse to be cast.

* * *

 

Emma had half expected something out of a fairy tale: a marble tower with vines growing up the wall and no door, so that whoever wished to enter would have to scale the wall. What she found instead was a column of dull gray bricks with a barred window at the top and a guard standing watch below.

“Your Highness,” he said, bowing, when saw her. “Do the king and queen know you’re here?”

Emma felt the bag of poppy dust in her pocket, but there was no need to use it yet. Out here, her own magic would still work, but that wouldn’t be true once she was inside. This time, it was anger instead of love that she used to focus her powers, but the result was the same. The guard dropped to the ground, unconscious. With a wave of Emma’s hand, the heavy iron door swung open.

Inside was a winding staircase that led directly up. Emma hurried, unsure how long her spell would last. Her heels pounded against the stone steps, and she found herself wishing she had thought to change out of her finery into something more suitable for the situation. But it was too late to think about that now.

At the top of the stairs was a single prison cell, furnished with a cot and an uncomfortable-looking wooden chair where a woman in simple gray dress sat, staring out the window. Hardly a life of luxury, but Emma couldn’t help noticing how different this place was from Rumple’s cell in the dungeons. By comparison, the tower cell seemed almost bearable, she thought. A second guard paced back and forth in front of the iron bars, but when he saw Emma, he stopped and stared at her in shock. The prisoner must have heard the noise, because she turned and fixed her eyes on the princess, too. Emma hesitated only for a second before throwing a handful of poppy dust in his face. As he fell to the ground, she turned to look at the prisoner.

The first thing she noticed was the woman’s beauty. She wasn’t a young woman anymore, and there was something hollow about her eyes that gave Emma chills, but there was no doubt in the princess’s mind why so many people called the queen the “fairest of them all”. She stood with a regal bearing, even dressed in rags and held behind iron bars.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“My name is Emma.”

“Snow White’s daughter …” Regina said quietly. “What are you doing here? You’ve come to finish me off?” As she spoke, a crazed laugh escaped her mouth. There was something wild in her eyes, and Emma was hit by the reality of how dangerous this woman still was. But it was too late to change her mind now.

Emma shook her head. “Of course not. I’m here to set you free.”

The former queen raised her eyebrows in surprise. “And why would you do that?”

“I made a deal with the Dark One,” Emma admitted. “Helping you escape was his price.” Something flickered in the older woman’s eyes, but Emma hardly noticed. She sighed. “I’m not sure if I can, though. Magic doesn’t work in here. How am I supposed to get you out?”

Regina rolled her eyes. “I see you’ve inherited your father’s brains.”

“What?”

“The guard,” said Regina impatiently. “He has keys.”

Oh. Of course. Why hadn’t Emma thought of that? Turning away from the former queen, she knelt beside the guard’s unconscious body and grabbed the keys from his belt. She stood and approached Regina’s cell, but suddenly she was hesitant. If she did this, there was no going back.

“Do it,” said Regina.

“What will you do?” Emma asked. “If I let you go.”

“That’s really none of your concern,” Regina told her. “You made a deal with Rumple. Trust me, you don’t want to go back on your word.”

Emma turned the key, and the door swung open. The queen – watching her, Emma realized there was no “former queen”, just a queen who no longer had a throne – stepped out of her cell for the first time in 28 years and swept down the stairs. Emma followed her. When they reached the bottom, the first guard had woken up – and from the noise above, it sounded as if the first one had, too. Regina looked back over her shoulder with a panicked look on her face, but Emma pushed past and tackled the guard blocking their exit. He stumbled backwards, apparently surprised to be attacked by the princess, and that gave them the time that they needed to force their way out of the tower.

The moment the queen had passed through the doorway, she plunged her hand into the guard’s chest. He gasped as she pulled out his heart, still beating, glowing red. Emma watched with wide, horrified eyes. She had only heard stories about people with that sort of power.

Then Regina squeezed the heart and it crumbled into ash. The guard’s lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud. The queen’s hollow eyes were now on fire, and she took a step closer to Emma, who backed away in fear. Was she next? But Regina just shot her a cruel smile and waved her hands, and the two women disappeared into a puff of smoke.

* * *

 

_I really need to stop getting kidnapped by villains_ , Emma thought to herself as they rematerialized in a room that made Maleficent’s castle look positively warm and cozy.

“Where are we?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“My castle,” said Regina shortly. With a puff of smoke, her prison rags were gone, and she was dressed in a black gown with a high collar and a low neckline, her hair pulled up on her head in an elaborate bun. “Now, I get my revenge on your mother.”

“Is that why you brought me here?” Emma asked. “To get back at her by hurting me?”

Regina stared at her for a moment, blinking slowly. Then she shook her head.

“My plans are much bigger than that,” she said.

“You mean Rumple’s curse?”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “So you know about the curse. How?”

“Don’t cast it,” said Emma, ignoring the question. “Please.”

Regina turned to look at her skeptically. “And why would I do that?”

Emma hesitated. She shouldn’t have had any trouble coming up with a reason. After all, if she was supposed to be the “Savior”, whatever that meant, shouldn’t it be easy for her to stop the curse from being cast in the first place? She gulped, realizing for the first time that she might have put events in motion that now she had no ability to stop. But she had to say something, so she found the words:

“Because I can help you get what you want without it.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Well, now I’m intrigued,” said Regina. The younger woman shuddered under her intense gaze. “Tell me. How do you think you can help me?”

“I don’t _think_ I can,” said Emma. “I know I can.”

She was halfway bluffing, but she tried to force confidence into her words, hoping the queen wouldn’t see right through her.

“You want to punish my mother for being prettier than you,” Emma continued, but Regina cut her off.

“That’s what she told you?” the queen demanded, with insanity gleaming in her eyes. “That’s what you think this is about?”

Emma took a step back, nodding fearfully.

“That little liar! She knows what she did to me! She knows why I wanted her dead!”

“And why is that?” asked Emma nervously.

Regina suddenly grew cold. “That’s my business.”

“Well,” said Emma. “You want revenge against my mother for … whatever she did to you. And I have no loyalty to my parents anymore. Right now, they’re gathering their army to attack someone I care about a lot, to try to kill her and her mother, and the worst part is what they did to her. They made her into a villain, a monster, and now they’re trying to kill her for it.”

Regina’s cold gaze softened for a moment, and she seemed lost in thought.

“That’s what heroes do,” she murmured.

“Well, I don’t want to be that kind of hero,” said Emma.

“And this girl? You care for her?”

“I do,” said Emma. “She’s my …”

But she let her voice trail off, unable to find the right word. Friend was too simple. Friend was the cook’s son who she played with as a child or the duke’s daughter who she chatted with between dances at her parents’ balls. Her relationship with Lily was much more complicated, much more painful, and in some ways, much more dangerous. But Emma found that she cared for the other girl deeply, even if there was no name she could think of that summed up what they were to each other.

“I can’t let her die,” Emma finally said, and the older woman’s eyes seemed to understand.

“So what are you proposing?” Regina asked.

“We warn her about what my parents are planning,” said Emma. “And we join forces against them.”

Regina seemed taken aback, maybe by the idea that Emma would side against her own parents, but she nodded in agreement.

“So who is this friend?” she asked.

“Her name is Lily,” said Emma. “She’s Maleficent’s daughter.”

* * *

 

Lily hadn’t seen Emma in years, and in that time she had gone back and forth between hating the ridiculous blonde princess and longing for her. Most of the time it was both. But she certainly wasn’t prepared for Emma to suddenly materialize before the Forbidden Fortress, accompanied by a woman in black and an old, balding man. And apparently, neither was her mother, for entirely different reasons.

“Regina? What are you doing here?” Maleficent demanded, storming out the looming castle doors to greet them with Lily trailing behind. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, dear,” said Regina.

“Who said it was a disappointment?”

Maleficent beckoned to their visitors, and Lily watched them suspiciously as they entered the castle. Regina – a woman whose name she had only heard in stories – seemed confident, but somehow haunted, and Emma’s eyes darted around nervously. As for the old man, Lily could almost smell his fear.

“I need to warn you,” said Emma in a shaky voice. “My parents are coming, and they intend to kill you both.”

Maleficent turned to her with curious eyes. “And you would take our side instead of your family’s?”

“They see you as monsters,” Emma said. “I know you’re more than that, and after what they did to you, they have no right to come here and kill you.”

“What kind of a hero stands up for the villains?” Lily asked.

“I do,” said Emma. “Whether that makes me a hero or not.”

* * *

 

But acting confident was one thing. Actually being sure of her choices was another. As she went over battle strategies with Maleficent and the Evil Queen, a nagging voice in the back of Emma’s head reminded her that these were her parents’ worst enemies, and the people they were getting ready to fight – although she might not agree with what they were doing – were still her parents and thought they were acting for the best. Maybe they were. They were doing what was best for their kingdom, after all, taking out a dangerous threat. It just so happened that the threat was not a monster but a group of very human women who had legitimate reasons to hate the royal family.

“Hey,” said Lily, interrupting her thoughts as she paced back and forth anxiously. “Are you okay?”

Emma turned to look at her. It was strange, seeing someone she had known as a child and knowing she was the same person, and yet different. Not only were they both women in their twenties instead of little girls, but Lily, who had always had a certain darkness to her, now gave of an air of danger that nobody could ignore. There was something about her eyes and the way that she moved that told Emma one thing: she was no frightened little girl anymore. She was just as dangerous as the other villains here.

“I’m fine,” said Emma. “Really.”

Lily gave her a look that said she wasn’t buying it. “You look like a nervous wreck.”

Emma didn’t reply.

“I get it, you know,” said Lily casually.

“What?”

“They’re your parents,” said Lily, watching Emma carefully. “This can’t be easy for you. I may be a monster, but I know I could never fight against my own mother.”

Emma looked back at her in suspicion. Was Lily just looking to see if Emma would deny it? Better not to take a risk.

“I told you I’m fine,” she said. “You think I would have come if I couldn’t handle this?”

Lily shrugged. “You know what, it’s really not my business. I’m sorry.”

Emma’s eyes softened, and her façade broke.

“Thank you,” she said. “And you’re right, it’s not easy, but … well, I’m on your side. I promise.”

Lily nodded, but Emma thought she saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes. Her heart sank. So it had all been a test. But a moment later, Lily was leaning forward and brushing a blonde curl back from Emma’s face. They were only inches apart now, and Emma’s heart was racing. There weren’t any words to express how badly she wanted this, how much she wanted Lily.

Then the doors were flung open, and they both pulled back just before their lips could touch, turning to face the intruder. Maleficent stood in the doorway, dressed for combat and seething with rage. Emma knew what was happening before she spoke. Her parents’ army was here. It was time to fight, and deep down, she still wasn’t sure whose side she was on.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma had seen battles before. The pounding of horses’ hooves, the whistling sound of arrows flying, and the glint of swords in the sunlight were all familiar to her. She held her own sword high and slashed at the enemy knights around her, who held back, hesitant to fight the princess. Their hesitation cost them their lives. The blood dripping from her sword and splattered on her body wasn’t anything new to Emma, either.

But her parents were the enemy leaders, and that was different. She wasn’t used to being on the opposite side from them. Being on the side of the dragons, that was new, and she couldn’t help but instinctively flinch as Maleficent’s fiery breath came raining down on the battlefield, burning dozens of her parents’ best knights.

Gritting her teeth, she fought harder, putting all her effort into the battle. Not far away, the Evil Queen had ripped out a man’s heart and was squeezing it until it crumbled into ash. Emma flinched away from that, too. She had known she was allying herself with the villains, but until now, she hadn’t let herself think about what exactly that meant.

She must have been distracted, because a carefully-aimed blow knocked her sword out of her hand. A dozen of her parents’ knights surrounded her, but as she stood there, unarmed, none of them attacked.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” one of them said. “We’ve been given orders not to harm you.”

Emma laughed. Of course.

“You’ve been led astray by these monsters, but the king and queen want to give you a second chance.”

At his words, rage surged through Emma. A ball of fire filled her hand, and, aiming wildly, she flung it at the knights.

“I never asked for a second chance,” Emma snarled. “I don’t want one.”

No matter how many doubts she had, it was true. She was here because she chose to be, and the idea that she needed a second chance, at the expense of betraying her new allies and admitting that everything she had chosen was wrong … well, in that moment, she didn’t think anything had ever made her more furious. Fireballs made of pure rage shot from her hands.

But it was two dragons and two witches against a small army. Magic or no magic, they were outnumbered something like forty or fifty to one. Sooner or later, they were going to lose, and Emma knew that.

Then, all of a sudden, a well-aimed arrow zoomed past. Overhead, a dragon let out a terrible screech of pain. Emma looked up and recognized Lily as she fell to the ground, her wing broken and bleeding, crushing half a dozen knights beneath her. Emma couldn’t tell whether she was still alive, but it almost didn’t matter. As she looked across the battlefield to see her mother lowering her bow, she was so overwhelmed by rage that nothing else mattered.

In an instant, she was there beside her mother, plunging a hand into her chest with a dark magic she didn’t know how to control. Her father was there, too, reaching for his sword, but hesitating. This was his baby girl, the child he’d taught to dance and read fairy tales to. No matter what she had become, he didn’t want to hurt her.

Emma didn’t hesitate. She ripped out her mother’s heart and held it in her hand, pulsing bright red. Too red, she thought for a moment, before she saw the black spot, and a satisfied smile spread across her face.

“So you’re not as pure as they say,” she said.

“Please,” Snow White begged. “I’m your mother.”

Then there was a sort of recognition in Snow’s eyes, although recognition of what, Emma wasn’t sure. She gave the heart a squeeze.

“I don’t care.”

Snow gasped and fell to her knees as Emma squeezed her heart harder. In a moment, it would be dust. Then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Lily, in her human form, one arm broken and bleeding, but alive – alive, and looking at Emma with soft eyes full of sympathy.

“Don’t do it,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Because she’s your mother,” said Lily. “And you love her, no matter what. Don’t try to deny it. If you kill your mom, you won’t be able to live with yourself.”

Emma stared at Lily in surprise. “You should want me to kill her.”

“I do,” said Lily. “But you don’t. Not really.”

Emma looked from her mother to Lily, and deep down, she knew Lily was right.

“Okay, here’s the thing,” she said. “I love Lily. I have for a long time. And you hurt her, and that’s not okay. So I’m going to give you your heart back, and then you’ll call off your army and leave us in peace. After that, we’re done. I don’t want to see you again. Understood?”

Snow nodded. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Then Emma pushed the heart back in, not bothering to be gentle, and turned away.

Emma half expected her mother not to keep her word, but she called a retreat, and the two girls were left standing there in front of the Forbidden Fortress. Regina and Maleficent waited nearby, giving them space.

“Your arm,” said Emma, reaching for it. “Are you okay?”

“It’ll heal,” Lily replied. “I’ll be fine.”

They were quiet for a moment, and then Lily spoke again.

“Do you feel that?”

Emma’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

“I don’t know, it’s like … peace? Light?”

Oh. Emma’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized what was happening.

“I went to see Rumple,” she said. “Years ago, and I asked him how we could undo what my parents did. He said it wouldn’t be easy. I had to embrace the dark, and you had to embrace the light, in spite of what they did to us. I think … I think we’ve done that.”

And they had. When Emma recognized the feeling of rage inside her for what it was and realized it would always be with her now, she almost wished she had never tried. Almost.

“You told your mom you love me,” said Lily. It was more of a question than a statement of what they had both heard.

“I do,” said Emma, leaning forward to kiss Lily on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around the other woman and pulled her closer, but Lily let out a moan that sounded more like pain than pleasure, and Emma remembered she was injured. She pulled back hastily.

“I don’t exactly hate you, either,” said Lily with a cheeky grin. It was as close to “I love you” as she would go, at least for now.

* * *

 

Of course, the first thing Regina did was pull out the Dark Curse scroll.

“You said you weren’t going to cast that thing,” Emma protested.

Regina turned an angry glare on the princess. “And you said you would help me get my revenge without it. You let Snow White go.”

“She’s my mother!” Emma said. “Surely even you couldn’t crush your parents’ hearts.”

A flicker of sadness crossed the queen’s face, just for a moment.

“What?” Emma demanded.

Regina turned away, looking at her father now. “To cast this curse, that’s exactly what I have to do: crush the heart of the thing I love most.”

His face fell. “Me.”

Regina nodded. He pleaded with her, but she just took a step forward, quiet but dangerous. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she hardly seemed to notice.

“I’ve had so many years to think about this,” she said. “And I swore that I would do it if I ever got the chance. I don’t have a choice.”

Her voice was steady, but there was a hint of desperation to it. She truly felt she had no other options.

“Wait,” Emma interrupted.

Regina turned on her with a glare. “You’ve said enough.”

“No, I haven’t,” said Emma bluntly. “You can do this if you want, but first, there’s something you need to know. Rumplestiltskin wants that curse cast.”

“He gave it to me. Of course he wants it cast.”

“Did he tell you why?”

There was no response. Emma continued: “He wants it cast and he wants it broken. He manipulated all of this. You. Me. My parents. He wants to go to that world, and he’s using us as pawns to help him get there. If you do cast that curse, it won’t mean victory.”

Something changed in Regina’s face.

“Please,” said Emma. “Don’t cast it.”

“It’s the only way I can get my revenge.”

“Then stop trying,” said Emma. “I don’t know what my mother did to you, but whatever it was …”

“You know nothing!”

“You’re right, she doesn’t,” said Maleficent, stepping forward. “But I do. I know what you lost, Regina. Your True Love. But you spent years trying to find another way besides this curse. Is this really worth it now?”

Regina hesitated. “I have nothing to lose.”

“Then find something,” said Emma. “Start over. Build a new life for yourself. It doesn’t have to start with the curse, and it doesn’t have to be about revenge.”

“You really believe that?” the queen’s voice was softer now, almost incredulous.

“I do,” said Emma. “We all deserve to be more than just pawns.”

Regina opened her hand, and a ball of fire appeared. For a moment, Emma thought the queen was about to attack her, but then she dropped the curse scroll into the flame, and it exploded into ashes and smoke. As the fireball disappeared, Regina stared down at her hands as if she could hardly believe what she had done.

It wasn’t until later that Emma realized what day it was. Her twenty-eighth birthday.


	11. Epilogue

Belle snuck down into the dungeon again, a letter clenched tightly in her fist. When she arrived, Rumple looked up at her hopefully, and she smiled back.

“You have good news?” he asked.

“Not the news you’re hoping for,” she said. “But I think … I think it can be good news.”

Without saying another word, she held out the crumpled paper in her hand. In the dim light of the dungeon, he squinted to read it:

_Dear Belle,_

_Thank you for everything. You helped me to realize who I truly am – a hero who saves the monsters, not one who destroys them – and without your help, I might never have fulfilled my destiny. I need you to tell Rumplestiltskin that his plan isn’t going to work. The curse has been destroyed, but if he wants to be reunited with his son, I know of another way he can do that. There’s a wardrobe in my old nursery that is said to have the power to transport two people to the land without magic. You’re welcome to use it._

_Sincerely,_

_Emma_

Finishing the letter, Rumple looked at Belle through the bars of his cell. She was grinning.

“We don’t have to hurt anyone, Rumple. I can get you out of this cell, and we can go to this new land together to find your son.”

He frowned, hesitating.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching out and taking his hand.

“I’ll have to give up my power,” he said in the soft tone that he reserved only for her. “I’ll be weak. Like everyone else.”

“So you’re afraid,” Belle guessed.

“I’ve always been a coward.”

“But you won’t be alone,” she said. “You’ll have me. We can look out for each other, Rumple. We can be together. Please, just do this for me.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand, giving an almost imperceptible nod.

* * *

 

Snow White paced back and forth in the bedroom she shared with her husband. Weeks had passed, and still no word from her daughter, no sign that Emma might regret her decision or want to come home. Meanwhile, their most dangerous prisoner had escaped, and the castle librarian, Belle, had gone missing along with him. The old rumors that her love affair with the Dark One had never ended seemed more likely every day. The betrayal stung, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

Neither she nor Charming had admitted out loud that Emma was gone for good. It seemed he was determined that she would return, even if it took her years. Snow knew better. She knew that the people she loved really could just turn against her; her stepmother had done it, and now her daughter. (Did Charming understand now why, despite everything, she could never kill Regina?)

But hope was in Snow’s nature, and so she continued to hope, day after day, that the next person to come to the castle’s gates would be her daughter, ready to be welcomed home and forgiven for everything. It might never happen, but Snow would never stop hoping.

* * *

 

Weeks turned into months, and the inhabitants of the Forbidden Fortress had settled into a routine, albeit one where family arguments were likely to include fireballs along with slammed doors and tense dinnertime discussion. Snow White wrote once a month, and her letters left Emma in tears. Soon, she stopped reading them at all and just threw them into the fire.

Regina was bitter and hostile, slowly learning to live with the fact that she wouldn’t be able to get her revenge, but not quite willing to accept it yet.

“It will get better,” Maleficent assured her. “Sooner or later, you’ll find something that’s more important than revenge, and that’s how you start to move on.”

None of them were quite sure that the Evil Queen was capable of that. But who knew? Maybe it wasn’t too late for anyone, even her. Maleficent had made it clear she was welcome to stay at the forbidden fortress as long as she liked, and Emma decided she would do whatever she could to help. She was the one who had convinced Regina to destroy the curse. Making sure she didn’t regret it was the least she could do.

It was a struggle for Emma, dealing with the darkness that had suddenly invaded her. But it was her darkness. She would learn to cope with it sooner or later. At the very least, she decided, it was better to struggle with having a part of her be dark than to maintain her so-called purity at such a high cost.

To her surprise, Lily struggled as much as she did. Relieved of the extra darkness she had carried all her life, she was flooded with regrets. Some nights she would wake up in tears over some awful thing she had done years ago, and Emma would just hold her and whisper words of comfort.

“You’re sorry now,” she murmured, stroking Lily’s hair. “That’s what matters. We all have our own regrets.”

Before long, almost a year had passed, and Snow’s bird messengers stopped coming. The queen apparently had nothing more to say to her wayward daughter. Emma tried not to let it show, but she couldn’t deny the sadness she felt, realizing her parents had given up on her.

“So write to them,” said Lily.

“Absolutely not.”

“Hey, I’m not saying you have to forgive them. Just write and tell them how you feel.”

It wasn’t bad advice, and an hour later, Emma was finishing off her letter to her parents:

_Mom and Dad,_

_I’m not really sure where to start. I’m not going to apologize for loving someone you don’t approve of, and I’m not going to apologize for the fact that part of me is dark now. That’s how people are supposed to be: not storybook heroes or villains, but in between._

_I miss you. I love you. But I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I don’t think I’ve done anything that needs forgiving._

_I’d like to see you again._

_Love,_

_Emma_

She sent the message off with one of Maleficent’s ravens and watched it fly away with a sad smile on her face. She wasn’t sure whether her parents would even want any sort of reconciliation, and maybe her message had been too harsh, maybe it would just offend them even more. But she couldn’t worry about that. She had said what she wanted to say, and it was up to them now.

She turned and went back into the Forbidden Fortress, where Lily was waiting. This was who she was now. The fairy tale princess who lived among villains and was halfway one of them herself. The one who was carried away by a monster only to find that the monster was not so different from herself. The dragon’s princess, who had made her home in a place where most would be afraid to go. She was tainted by darkness now, but so was everyone.


End file.
